DAYTON, Ohio — In an era defined by rapid urban sprawl, habitat fragmentation, and declining pollinator populations, local environmental partnerships have never been more vital. Beginning Wednesday, September 2, 2026, and running through Wednesday, September 30, a dynamic and timely collaboration between Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon is set to bridge a critical gap in the Miami Valley conservation landscape.
The two organizations are launching the Deeply Rooted Landscapes Retail Pop-Pop Nursery at Aullwood Farm. Operating during regular business hours from Wednesday through Sunday throughout the month of September, the pop-up will offer a diverse, carefully curated selection of Midwest native forbs, grasses, trees, and shrubs. This retail experience is designed to provide Dayton-area residents with a seamless, convenient opportunity to purchase ecologically vital plants while exploring one of the region’s premier environmental education and conservation destinations.
This initiative represents more than a temporary plant sale; it is the natural evolution of a multi-year partnership rooted in shared values, educational programming, and a mutual commitment to preserving local ecosystems. By breaking down barriers to native plant accessibility, Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon are empowering everyday citizens to transform their private properties into thriving ecological sanctuaries.
Executive Overview
The decline of native flora across the American Midwest has had cascading effects on local ecosystems, severely impacting native bird species, monarch butterflies, bees, and countless other beneficial insects. Modern landscaping practices—heavily reliant on non-native turf grass and ornamental exotic species—frequently starve local food webs of the specialized resources wildlife needs to survive.
To combat this environmental challenge, the partnership between Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon offers a practical, community-centered solution.
- The Initiative: A month-long retail pop-up nursery hosted at Aullwood Farm, featuring regionally native plants grown explicitly to support Midwest biodiversity.
- The Timeline: September 2 through September 30, 2026, open Wednesday through Sunday during normal business hours.
- The Mission: To merge Aullwood’s renowned environmental education infrastructure with Deeply Rooted Landscapes’ horticultural expertise, making habitat gardening accessible, approachable, and actionable for the Greater Dayton community.
- The Impact: Empowering homeowners, municipalities, and local landowners to extend conservation efforts beyond public nature preserves and directly into their own neighborhoods.
By aligning retail accessibility with conservation education, the partnership tackles one of the most persistent hurdles in ecological landscaping: bridging the gap between ecological awareness and the physical resources required to enact change.
Detailed Chronology: From Classroom to Collaboration
The path toward the September 2026 Pop-Up Nursery was paved over several years of intentional, mission-driven cooperation between Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon.
Laying the Groundwork: Educational Programming
The relationship began organically when the two entities crossed paths through Aullwood’s established native plant educational programming. Recognizing a shared ethos in educating the public on habitat gardening, representatives from both organizations began exchanging insights, resources, and instructional frameworks. Deeply Rooted Landscapes, founded in 2019, brought specialized knowledge in growing Midwest native flora and designing wildlife-friendly landscapes, while Aullwood provided nearly seven decades of institutional experience in environmental education.
The 2026 Native Plant Sale Milestone
The partnership deepened significantly during Aullwood Audubon’s 2026 Native Plant Sale. During this high-profile event, Deeply Rooted Landscapes partnered directly with the nature center, donating a portion of its nursery sales to support Aullwood’s ongoing conservation initiatives. Furthermore, both organizations executed a coordinated cross-promotional marketing campaign.
The success of the 2026 Native Plant Sale exceeded expectations, drawing large crowds and demonstrating an undeniable appetite among Dayton residents for native plants. More importantly, it proved that collaborative marketing and aligned institutional goals could amplify community engagement far beyond what either organization could achieve independently.
The September 2026 Pop-Up Nursery
Building directly on the momentum of the spring plant sale, the upcoming September Pop-Up Nursery represents the next major milestone. Located just minutes from Deeply Rooted Landscapes’ primary nursery operations, Aullwood Farm provides an ideal backdrop. Visitors touring the farm and the surrounding nature center can transition seamlessly from learning about local ecology to purchasing the exact flora needed to replicate those natural habitats at home.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Ecological Imperative in the Miami Valley
To understand the true significance of this partnership, one must examine the ecological pressures facing the Greater Dayton region and the broader Miami Valley.
The Power of Native Flora
Native plants—those that have evolved naturally in a specific region over thousands of years—form the foundation of local food webs. Unlike non-native ornamentals imported from Asia or Europe, native plants have co-evolved with local insects and wildlife. For example, native oak trees (Quercus spp.) support over 500 species of caterpillar larvae, which are essential protein sources for nesting songbirds. In contrast, common non-native ornamental trees often support virtually zero native insect species, effectively creating ecological dead zones in suburban yards.
Meeting the Surge in Public Demand
According to Kara Maynard, owner of Deeply Rooted Landscapes, the cultural landscape of the Miami Valley is undergoing a profound shift.
"The Miami Valley is ready for a full-scale native plant nursery. Throughout our community, people are gardening with native plants and enhancing the ecosystems in their yards. They are taking action in their municipalities to get native plants in our parks and common areas," Maynard observes.
Despite this surging public interest—driven by growing awareness of climate change, pollinator declines, and the loss of natural habitats—accessibility has remained a primary bottleneck. Specialty native plants can be difficult to source through traditional commercial garden centers, which frequently stock invasive or sterile exotic cultivars bred solely for visual aesthetics rather than ecological function.
By establishing a reliable, temporary retail hub at Aullwood Farm, Deeply Rooted Landscapes is actively dismantling this barrier. The pop-up offers consumers not just plants, but professional horticultural guidance, ensuring that buyers select species properly matched to their soil, sunlight, and moisture conditions.
Official Statements: Voices of Leadership
The collaboration is championed by executive leadership from both organizations, highlighting a shared vision for community-led environmental stewardship.
Kara Maynard, Owner, Deeply Rooted Landscapes
Kara Maynard emphasizes the operational alignment between her company and Aullwood Audubon, noting that their core philosophies are inextricably linked:
"We are very excited about this new partnership opportunity with Aullwood Audubon. Our missions align: protect wildlife and ecosystems by empowering people to take action and give them the knowledge and tools to do so," Maynard stated.
She continued, addressing the persistent challenges of horticultural access: "The demand for native plants has grown significantly in recent years, but accessibility remains an issue. We are excited to break that barrier and establish a retail location where people can come for plants and native plant knowledge."
Leigh Ann Miller, Director of Audubon Ohio Centers
Leigh Ann Miller underscores how the retail pop-up serves as a direct bridge between public conservation spaces and private residential properties:
"Our partnership with Deeply Rooted Landscapes is a natural extension of Aullwood Audubon’s mission to connect people with nature and inspire lasting conservation," Miller explained.
"By making native plants more accessible to the community, we are helping people take what they experience at Aullwood and bring it home—to their own yards, neighborhoods, and communities."
Organizational Profiles
Deeply Rooted Landscapes
Founded in 2019, Deeply Rooted Landscapes has established itself as a premier native plant landscaping company and nursery serving Dayton and the wider Miami Valley region. Operating under the guiding philosophy “Your Yard Is Habitat,” the company specializes in:
- Cultivating robust Midwest native plant species.
- Providing comprehensive garden consultations and professional landscape design and installation.
- Executing targeted invasive plant removal services to restore degraded ecosystems.
- Delivering educational programming that empowers homeowners to cultivate beautiful, resilient landscapes capable of sustaining birds, native pollinators, and other local wildlife.
Aullwood Audubon
Operating as one of 33 official nature centers for the National Audubon Society in Dayton, Ohio, Aullwood Audubon has been a pillar of environmental stewardship for nearly 70 years. Aullwood’s overarching mission is to protect birds and the habitats they require, today and tomorrow.
Aullwood provides immersive, hands-on learning experiences in environmental and agricultural sciences, cultivating lifelong conservation values across generations. Through community science initiatives, conservation projects, and the unique Art at Audubon program—which features nature-infused exhibits, cultural events, and hands-on workshops—Aullwood actively engages the Greater Dayton populace, strengthening regional environmental literacy and inspiring tangible stewardship.
Future Outlook: A Growing Partnership
As the September 2026 Pop-Up Nursery approaches, organizers from both Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon are already looking toward the horizon. The success of their past collaborations and the high anticipated turnout for the September event suggest that this pop-up is merely a stepping stone toward even deeper integration of native plant horticulture and environmental education in Dayton.
Visitors, conservationists, gardeners, and community members are encouraged to monitor announcements from both organizations for further details regarding the September pop-up schedule, companion educational workshops, and upcoming seasonal offerings.
By turning every residential yard, school garden, and municipal park into a connected corridor of native habitat, Deeply Rooted Landscapes and Aullwood Audubon are proving that local conservation begins at the grassroots level—one native plant at a time.
For More Information
To learn more about the upcoming pop-up nursery, educational programs, and professional services, please visit the official websites of both organizations:
- Deeply Rooted Landscapes: https://www.deeplyrootedlandscapes.com/
- Aullwood Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/aullwood
